Who Did Betty White Play In The Bold And The Beautiful?

The late, great Betty White died on December 31st, 2021, just weeks before she would have turned 100 years old on January 17,th 2022. The legendary actress was known for making people laugh throughout her nearly eight-decade career. From her role as Sue Ann Nivens on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" to her iconic take as Rose Nylund on the beloved 80s sitcom "The Golden Girls" (via IMDB), White brought smiles to television audiences for most of her life — but she also didn't shy away from a challenge.

When the high drama that comes with the world of soap operas came calling, White jumped at the chance to join the cast of "The Bold and the Beautiful" as a long-talked-about character who had never been seen before. "It's also, for me, such a great stretch because I don't get the chance to do serious acting," White told Tulsa World during her time with the soap. "So to get some serious things to do was kind of fun."

Unlike many celebrity appearances on a soap opera, Betty White's stint on "The Bold and the Beautiful" wasn't a short one. Instead, she was cast in the pivotal role of Ann Douglas, the mother of the show's legendary matriarch, Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery). For years, fans knew that Stephanie had come to Los Angeles from Chicago, leaving her family behind as if they never existed. However, in 2006, fans finally learned why.

When Stephanie remembered during a therapy session that she had been abused by her father as a child, she traveled back home and confronted her mother, Ann, played by White. Ann was a woman who cared about appearances and didn't want to face what happened as she told her daughter it just wasn't true. A frustrated Stephanie returned to LA, but when Eric Forrester invited Ann for the holidays, she had to admit that she knew about the abuse but feared her husband and never said anything (via Soaps In Depth).

Betty White recurred as Ann Douglas on "The Bold and the Beautiful" between 2006 and 2009 until the character finally succumbed to cancer in a poignant and heartbreaking death scene on the beach where her daughters, Stephanie and Pam, told her they forgave her for everything and let her pass away in peace, per Soaps In Depth. 

On White's 100th birthday nearly 13 years later, the soap gave White another send-off when it dedicated its January 17th, 2022 episode to the legendary performer. At the end of that days' show, "The Bold and the Beautiful" aired a photo of White behind a director's chair on the soap's set (via Soap Hub).

The soap opera's official Twitter account also paid tribute to White with heartfelt words. "On what would have been her 100th birthday, here is a heartfelt look back at Betty White's joyful presence and remarkable talent as Ann Douglas on The Bold and the Beautiful. Betty was as Bold and Beautiful as they come, and will forever be in our hearts," a social media statement read.